The future of patient partnerships

Victoria Morton-Green | Account Director, Patient Insights & Support, Precision AQ | March 29, 2023

The work we do as a Patient Insights and Support function at Precision AQ has always had a strong focus on input and insights from real people–patients are also people, after all, and we have a strong commitment to empathy and respect in everything we do. We support our clients to build and create strong partnerships with patient organisations and implement successful collaborations for the benefit of patients.

Developing good relationships through patient engagement and support is not a new concept. The pharmaceutical industry has been increasingly focused on patient-centricity and the importance of partnering with patient organisations, and rightly so. This consistent and growing focus on patient engagement activities can enormously enhance the delivery of patient information, support, and potentially the treatments themselves. As industry and patient groups continue to work together, these partnerships change, evolve, and grow.

All good stuff, right?

Yes, of course. At Precision AQ, we want to continue to help our clients and the organisations we work with to explore how these critical relationships can be improved and deepened. Our Precision AQ mindset is "there’s always room for improvement".

The pharmaceutical industry is the most patient-focused it’s ever been. 80% of the top pharmaceutical companies cite some iteration of a patient-centric approach as a core value of their organisation. But what does a truly patient-centric approach mean? It’s a broad term, and it takes different forms and has varying degrees. Patient centricity and patient engagement are inherently linked but are different. For us, patient centricity is the mindset, and patient engagement is the delivery, the ways in which patient centricity is delivered.

If the pharmaceutical industry wants to be truly patient-centric throughout the product life cycle, then surely that starts with:

1. Consistently embracing a patient-centric mindset and keeping the patient front of mind
2. Always consider how they interact in every way with the groups that represent those patients

Precision AQ is trying to stay ahead of the curve and seeks to deepen its understanding of how to exercise effective and impactful patient engagement and partnerships via an annual listening project involving the patient community and industry. The resulting Good Patient Partnership Guide highlights how the critical partnerships between industry and the third sector can be enhanced for the good of patients and contains concise insights and clear, tangible recommendations and inspiration for those already doing great work who want to do more, and/or for those looking to up their game in patient engagement.

Want to know more? Access the Guide, and get in touch if you want to chat or need support in this area via mh.patientsupport@precisionaq.com.